Chapter 22

When Mu Chen's voice echoed in the training ground, the originally somewhat noisy atmosphere seemed to quiet down significantly for a moment. Then, one by one, gazes filled with surprise focused on him.

No one had expected Mu Chen to take the initiative to challenge Luo Tong. Didn't he know that Luo Tong had been looking for an opportunity to pick a fight with him? How could he now take the initiative to walk right into it?

"Qian'er, what's wrong with Mu Chen? Luo Tong is not someone to provoke easily," Mo Ling said as he came to Tang Qian'er's side, his face grave as he looked at Mu Chen's back.

Tang Qian'er shook her head. Although there was some worry in her eyes, she did not show it. She smiled faintly and said, "It's fine, he knows what he's doing."

Mo Ling could only nod with a bitter smile. This kind of sparring was within the rules, and even if he wanted to help, he couldn't interfere. Now, he could only hope that Mu Chen had some real skills; otherwise, Luo Tong wouldn't let such a good opportunity to humiliate him pass.

"Hehe."

Under the many gazes, Luo Tong was momentarily stunned. Then, the already somewhat gloomy expression on his face turned even colder, and a cold laugh slowly emerged from his mouth.

"It seems that after staying in the Heavenly Realm for a few days, you think you've become so familiar with the place that you can start acting arrogantly," Luo Tong stood up, his eyes dark as he stared at Mu Chen and said.

"Senior Luo Tong, what are you talking about? I just want to spar with you purely," Mu Chen smiled gently and said, "And isn't it only natural for a senior to spar with a newcomer? Jiang Li just said that a moment ago."

Jiang Li, who was standing nearby, looked a bit uncomfortable when he heard Mu Chen mention him. However, he still glared at Mu Chen, thinking to himself how this guy dared to directly challenge Luo Tong. Didn't he know that Luo Tong was at the late-stage of the Spirit Movement Realm?

Luo Tong looked at Mu Chen's handsome face, which was wearing a gentle smile, and couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. That smile seemed to mock him. He bared his teeth in a cold smile and said, "Since you have this request, as a senior, I naturally have to agree. Fine, fine..."

As he said the last two words, the cold light in Luo Tong's eyes became unhidden. Spiritual energy slowly coiled around his body, emitting a powerful aura.

The surrounding students quickly stepped back, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

Mu Chen extended his palm, "Please."

Bang!

Luo Tong showed no courtesy, his face dark as the spiritual energy within his body surged out without restraint. He took a step forward, his figure darting out like an arrow, and a punch shot out, accompanied by a low, explosive sound, aiming fiercely at Mu Chen.

Seeing Luo Tong's ferocity, the surrounding people's hearts skipped a beat. This wasn't a sparring session; Luo Tong clearly intended to knock Mu Chen down.

Mu Chen, however, showed no signs of dodging as Luo Tong charged at him. Dark spiritual energy wrapped around his fist, and he met Luo Tong head-on.

He wanted to test how strong a late-stage Spirit Movement Realm practitioner could be.

Peng!

A low sound echoed as the two fists collided heavily. The shockwave from the collision of the two spiritual energies instantly formed wind vortices.

Thud.

As the shockwave swept through, both figures trembled. Mu Chen was pushed back several steps, while Luo Tong only took one step back. Clearly, in the direct confrontation, Luo Tong had the upper hand.

Luo Tong steadied himself, his pupils slightly constricting. He felt a slight pain in his fist. Although Mu Chen's spiritual energy was not as powerful as his, if he hadn't used his full strength, he might have been overwhelmed by Mu Chen's dominant spiritual energy.

Clearly, the quality of the spiritual energy Mu Chen cultivated was superior to his.

"Regardless of how powerful your spiritual energy is, there is still a gap between us. I can crush you just by my level!" Luo Tong's eyes were cold. He was at the late-stage of the Spirit Movement Realm, while Mu Chen was only at the mid-stage. Although it seemed like a small gap, it was enough to crush him.

"Has your father never told you that it's better to keep quiet when you don't have enough strength? Taking the initiative to come forward is just asking for trouble!"

Mu Chen, however, smiled lightly and said, "While I was learning to be patient, you were still a good student in the academy. Moreover, the reason to be patient is when you encounter an opponent you can't defeat for the time being. But unfortunately, you don't even qualify as such an opponent in my eyes."

"Then I'll show you what you'll pay for today!"

A cold and fierce look flashed in Luo Tong's eyes. He extended his fingers, forming a sword point, and dark green spiritual energy surged out, forming a faint sword tip at his fingertips, emitting a sharp aura.

"The Great Luo Sword Technique?" The surrounding students saw the green light sword tip at Luo Tong's fingertips and their eyes changed, exclaiming in surprise.

"The Great Luo Sword Technique of the Luo Domain?"

Mu Chen's gaze also fell on the green light sword tip. It was a low-grade Spirit-level technique, the Great Luo Sword Technique, a famous skill of the Luo Domain's lord. He didn't expect Luo Tong to have cultivated it, but it was clear that his mastery was not yet complete. However, at the Spirit Movement Realm level, it was already quite powerful.

"Swish!"

Luo Tong didn't give Mu Chen much time to think. His eyes were cold as he darted forward, his fingers like a sword, slicing through the air and rapidly stabbing at Mu Chen.

The sword tip seemed to tear the air as it moved.

Mu Chen's eyes tightly focused on the incoming sword tip. The sharpness made his pores involuntarily tighten, and his right hand slowly clenched.

Dark spiritual energy circulated within his body, pouring into his right palm. A faint black mark gradually appeared in the center of his palm.

A cold aura spread out.

A dark black light burst from Mu Chen's palm, and in his hand, it was as if he held a black sun. The cold aura was chilling.

Bang!

Mu Chen stomped his foot, his figure darting forward like a tiger or a leopard. Despite facing Luo Tong's fierce attack, he did not choose to dodge, a scene that left many people amazed.

"Looking for death!"

Luo Tong's voice was cold and fierce, the green light sword tip not pausing as it shot toward Mu Chen's throat like lightning.

Dong!

A fist enveloped in dark light shot out, a black light like a black sun colliding head-on with the green light sword tip.

Bang!

A violent spiritual energy shockwave swept out, making the ground tremble. The students watched closely as the green light sword tip and the black light collided.

"Break!"

A cold light flashed in Mu Chen's eyes. The spiritual energy in his qi sea surged out without restraint, and the black mark in his palm vibrated, appearing in front of his fist and slamming heavily into the green light sword tip.

Crack!

The black mark slammed into the green light sword tip, which suddenly paused. Then, a faint cracking sound was heard, and the green light sword tip began to crack rapidly.

Bang!

The green light sword tip shattered completely, and Luo Tong's eyes filled with shock as he hastily retreated.

Mu Chen did not pursue, but simply flipped his palm, and the black mark disappeared. The aura in the field gradually dissipated, but the surrounding area was silent, with stunned gazes fixed on the slender figure, unable to believe that Mu Chen not only blocked Luo Tong's strongest attack but also forced him back.

"How is this possible..."

Jiang Li, Teng Yong, and the others stared in disbelief. Luo Tong, at the late-stage of the Spirit Movement Realm, had actually been at a disadvantage against Mu Chen, who was at the mid-stage?

"This..." Mo Ling's face was also grave, his heart deeply shaken.

Sigh.

Tang Qian'er secretly let out a sigh of relief, her tightly clenched delicate hand relaxing. This guy was really impressive.

"Senior Luo Tong, thank you for the match."

Mu Chen bowed to Luo Tong with a smile, but his eyes glanced at his palm, where the black mark had become much lighter. The Senluo Death Seal, if judged by power alone, was far beyond the upper-grade Mortal level. Perhaps it was because of the high requirement for the dominance of spiritual energy that it was classified as a Mortal-level technique.

However, the Senluo Death Seal also consumed a large amount of spiritual energy. The previous attack had drained half of the spiritual energy in his qi sea. Although it was partly due to his first attempt not being perfect, the consumption was still greater than that of a typical low-grade Spirit-level technique.

Luo Tong's face was ashen. He clearly hadn't expected such a result. For a moment, he was speechless. Mu Chen's fierce attack had left him deeply shaken, and for a moment, he had sensed an extreme danger.

"This guy actually knows such a powerful spiritual technique. Could it be that his father prepared it for him?" Luo Tong gritted his teeth, thinking. He had practiced the Great Luo Sword Technique for a long time to achieve this level, but he hadn't expected to be defeated by Mu Chen. How many tricks did this guy have up his sleeve?

Mu Chen, however, ignored Luo Tong's thoughts. He had achieved the intimidating effect he wanted. He believed that this guy would be more restrained in the future. So, he clapped his hands and turned to leave.

"Mu Chen, come with me for a moment."

Just as he was about to turn, a calm voice suddenly came from nearby. He was slightly startled and turned his head to see Master Mo standing not far away.

Mu Chen hesitated, his gaze meeting Tang Qian'er's, and then, under the watchful eyes of the students, he followed.

Master Mo stopped near a quiet grove, turned around, and narrowed his eyes, his voice gradually becoming stern, "You have cultivated the Senluo Death Seal?"

(A new day, new votes, are you ready?

The collection is so slow, so sad.)